Cook Out Southern 500
Darlington Raceway, September 6, 2026
Christopher Bell
Winner
367
Laps
29
Lead Changes
12
Leaders
Christopher Bell won the 2026 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 6, 2026, leading 46 of 367 laps. Ty Gibbs finished second; Tyler Reddick rounded out the podium. The race had 29 lead changes among 12 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, September 6, 2026
Track
Season
2026
Winner
Lead Changes
29
Leaders
12 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | +10 | Christopher Bell |
| 2 | 28 | +26 | Ty Gibbs |
| 3 | 1 | -2 | Tyler Reddick |
| 4 | 24 | +20 | Ryan Blaney |
| 5 | 25 | +20 | Kyle Larson |
| 6 | 7 | +1 | Chase Briscoe |
| 7 | 14 | +7 | Josh Berry |
| 8 | 17 | +9 | Bubba Wallace |
| 9 | 13 | +4 | Joey Logano |
| 10 | 3 | -7 | Ryan Preece |
| 11 | 34 | +23 | Carson Hocevar |
| 12 | 10 | -2 | Alex Bowman |
| 13 | 6 | -7 | Austin Cindric |
| 14 | 18 | +4 | Chase Elliott |
| 15 | 36 | +21 | Erik Jones |
| 16 | 21 | +5 | Todd Gilliland |
| 17 | 5 | -12 | Michael McDowell |
| 18 | 4 | -14 | Denny Hamlin |
| 19 | 22 | +3 | Corey Heim |
| 20 | 35 | +15 | Chris Buescher |
| 21 | 2 | -19 | Daniel Suarez |
| 22 | 30 | +8 | A.J. Allmendinger |
| 23 | 12 | -11 | Brad Keselowski |
| 24 | 19 | -5 | John Hunter Nemechek |
| 25 | 33 | +8 | Zane Smith |
| 26 | 26 | — | Shane van Gisbergen |
| 27 | 23 | -4 | Ross Chastain |
| 28 | 32 | +4 | Austin Hill |
| 29 | 9 | -20 | Austin Dillon |
| 30 | 15 | -15 | Riley Herbst |
| 31 | 27 | -4 | Ty Dillon |
| 32 | 29 | -3 | Noah Gragson |
| 33 | 16 | -17 | Cole Custer |
| 34 | 31 | -3 | Connor Zilisch |
| 35 | 8 | -27 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
| 36 | 37 | +1 | Cody Ware |
| 37 | 20 | -17 | William Byron |
| 38 | 38 | — | Chad Finchum |
Stage Results
| Driver | Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Bell | 4 | 1 | — | 17 |
| Denny Hamlin | 3 | 3 | — | 16 |
| Bubba Wallace | 2 | 5 | — | 15 |
| Tyler Reddick | 1 | 9 | — | 12 |
| Chase Briscoe | 6 | 4 | — | 12 |
| Ryan Blaney | 5 | 6 | — | 11 |
| Kyle Larson | — | 2 | — | 9 |
| William Byron | 9 | 8 | — | 5 |
| Josh Berry | — | 7 | — | 4 |
| Ryan Preece | 7 | — | — | 4 |
| Austin Cindric | 8 | 10 | — | 4 |
| Ty Gibbs | 10 | — | — | 1 |
| Joey Logano | — | — | — | — |
| Carson Hocevar | — | — | — | — |
| Alex Bowman | — | — | — | — |
| Chase Elliott | — | — | — | — |
| Erik Jones | — | — | — | — |
| Todd Gilliland | — | — | — | — |
| Michael McDowell | — | — | — | — |
| Corey Heim | — | — | — | — |
| Chris Buescher | — | — | — | — |
| Daniel Suarez | — | — | — | — |
| A.J. Allmendinger | — | — | — | — |
| Brad Keselowski | — | — | — | — |
| John Hunter Nemechek | — | — | — | — |
| Zane Smith | — | — | — | — |
| Shane van Gisbergen | — | — | — | — |
| Ross Chastain | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Hill | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Riley Herbst | — | — | — | — |
| Ty Dillon | — | — | — | — |
| Noah Gragson | — | — | — | — |
| Cole Custer | — | — | — | — |
| Connor Zilisch | — | — | — | — |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | — | — | — | — |
| Cody Ware | — | — | — | — |
| Chad Finchum | — | — | — | — |
Model Performance
How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 38 matched drivers, the model averaged 7.5 positions off — better than the season average of 8.5. Average
| Pos | Driver | Predicted | Actual | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Bell | 9.2 | 1 | +8.2 |
| 2 | Ty Gibbs | 10.7 | 2 | +8.7 |
| 3 | Tyler Reddick | 10.1 | 3 | +7.1 |
| 4 | Ryan Blaney | 7.8 | 4 | +3.8 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | 13.1 | 5 | +8.1 |
| 6 | Chase Briscoe | 8.2 | 6 | +2.2 |
| 7 | Josh Berry | 19.9 | 7 | +12.9 |
| 8 | Bubba Wallace | 12.7 | 8 | +4.7 |
| 9 | Joey Logano | 11.9 | 9 | +2.9 |
| 10 | Ryan Preece | 13.2 | 10 | +3.2 |
| 11 | Carson Hocevar | 13.3 | 11 | +2.3 |
| 12 | Alex Bowman | 15.4 | 12 | +3.4 |
| 13 | Austin Cindric | 14.5 | 13 | +1.5 |
| 14 | Chase Elliott | 10.1 | 14 | -3.9 |
| 15 | Erik Jones | 16.2 | 15 | +1.2 |
| 16 | Todd Gilliland | 18.3 | 16 | +2.3 |
| 17 | Michael McDowell | 16.7 | 17 | -0.3 |
| 18 | Denny Hamlin | 6.2 | 18 | -11.8 |
| 19 | Corey Heim | 14.0 | 19 | -5.0 |
| 20 | Chris Buescher | 9.2 | 20 | -10.8 |
(showing top 20 finishers)
Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.
Historical Context
- Christopher Bell: has 22 career starts at Darlington Raceway with a 12.9 avg finish (2 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
- Denny Hamlin: was the model’s top pick based on 42 career starts at Darlington Raceway with a 7.7 avg finish (10 wins), finishing P18 on the day.
- Cody Ware: was the biggest surprise, finishing P36 vs predicted P58. Track history: 10 starts, 31.5 avg finish.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 Cook Out Southern 500?
Christopher Bell won the 2026 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Where was the 2026 Cook Out Southern 500 held?
The 2026 Cook Out Southern 500 was held at Darlington Raceway on September 6, 2026.